英國海關(guān)不讓游客輕易過關(guān)

　　“UK Border” is the sign that greets passengersarriving at Heathrow. The airport is not on theborder. It is in a west London suburb. But thewording carries a message: “You are approaching abarrier. Do not expect an easy time.”

　　游客抵達希思羅機場后，首先映入眼簾的是“英國邊境”這個標記。該機場并沒有位于英國邊境，而是位于倫敦西部郊區(qū)。但這樣的措辭傳遞一個信息：“你正在接近一道屏障。別指望輕松過關(guān)。”

　　The government’s online visa and immigration pageis just as forbidding. This week, below the link tovisa applications, were three news stories. The first was about a health surcharge fortemporary migrants. The second reported on a London-based Moldovan accountant who wasfined for providing unregulated immigration advice. The third said that “nearly 800 foreigncriminals are being kicked out of the country”.

　　英國政府的在線簽證和移民頁面也同樣令人望而生畏。上周，在簽證申請鏈接下面有三條新聞。第一條是關(guān)于臨時移民的醫(yī)保附加費。第二條講的是一名駐倫敦的摩爾多瓦會計師因提供不受監(jiān)管的移民建議而被罰。第三條稱“近800名外國罪犯被踢出國境”。

　　These are all important issues. But what would it cost, apart from a few buckets of paint and alittle computer work, if the government’s information page and the sign at Heathrow — and allBritain’s entry points — said “Welcome to the UK”?

　　這些問題都很重要。但如果英國政府的信息頁面以及希思羅機場(乃至英國所有入境口岸)的標記都寫上“歡迎來英國”，除了幾桶油漆以及少量電腦工作以外，還需要付出什么代價呢?

　　The overwhelming majority of those visiting have no intention of committing crimes or usingUK hospitals. They want to do business or have a good time.

　　絕大多數(shù)前往英國的游客無意犯罪或利用英國的醫(yī)院。他們是為了做生意或者玩的開心。

　　But these visitors have been lumped with immigrants. I do not object to immigrants; I am one.But large numbers of Britons do. The Conservatives went into the election repeating theircommitment to reduce annual net migration to tens of thousands and they won a majority.

　　但這些游客被英國政府與移民歸為一類。我并不反對移民;我就是一個移民。但很多英國人反對。英國保守黨在競選期間再度承諾將每年凈移民數(shù)量降至數(shù)萬人，結(jié)果該黨贏得了議會多數(shù)席位。

　　But this government is committed to business too — and tourism is one of the UK’s mostimportant. The industry accounted for 9 per cent of gross domestic product and 10 per cent ofemployment in 2013, according to figures cited in a Commons committee report in March.

　　但英國政府還致力于商業(yè)，而旅游業(yè)是英國最為重要的行業(yè)之一。根據(jù)下議院一個委員會3月一份報告所援引的數(shù)據(jù)，旅游業(yè)占英國2013年國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值(GDP)的9%，就業(yè)的10%。

　　Almost one-third of UK jobs created over the past three years have been in tourist-relatedbusinesses.

　　在英國過去3年創(chuàng)造的就業(yè)中，有近三分之一是在旅游相關(guān)企業(yè)。

　　Tourists have a choice of countries to visit, and they are put off by being told they are notwelcome. Some in the previous and current Tory administration understand this. Battlesover the balance between controlling immigration and attracting tourists have pitted topConservatives against each other.

　　游客是可以選擇自己要去哪個國家的，如果被告知自己不受歡迎，他們會產(chǎn)生反感。英國前任和現(xiàn)任保守黨政府的一些人明白這點。圍繞控制移民與吸引游客之間平衡的分歧，致使保守黨高層人物互相對立。

　　For years, the argument was over visas for Chinese visitors. Tourists from China can apply for aSchengen visa, which gives them the right to travel to 26 European countries. They need aseparate visa for the UK, which is not party to the Schengen border-free travel agreement.

　　多年來，他們的辯論以中國游客的簽證申請為焦點。中國的游客可以申請申根簽證(Schengen)，這種簽證賦予他們在26個歐洲國家旅游的權(quán)利。他們需要另外申請一個簽證才能來英國，英國沒有加入取消邊境控制的《申根協(xié)定》。

　　It is a hassle. Of Chinese travellers to Europe, 94 per cent apply for a Schengen visa only, PaulBarnes of the UK China Visa Alliance lobbying group told me. The group asked the governmentto agree to joint UK and Schengen visa applications. In 2012, the Financial Times reported thatDavid Cameron and George Osborne, the chancellor, were frustrated that Theresa May, then —as now — home secretary, had not made progress on this.

　　這是個麻煩。游說組織——英國對華簽證聯(lián)盟(UK China Visa Alliance)的保羅•巴爾內(nèi)斯(Paul Barnes)告訴我，在前往歐洲的中國游客中，有94%只申請申根簽證。該組織促請英國政府同意英國/申根簽證合并申請。2012年，英國《金融時報》報道稱，戴維•卡梅倫(David Cameron)和財政大臣喬治•奧斯本(GeorgeOsborne)失望地發(fā)現(xiàn)，時任(現(xiàn)在仍擔(dān)任此職)內(nèi)政大臣特里薩•梅伊(Theresa May)沒有在這方面取得進展。

　　She eventually budged. Chinese tourists can now fill in one form, but they still have to make aspecial visit to a UK-appointed company to be photographed and fingerprinted.

　　她最終做出了讓步。中國游客現(xiàn)在只需填寫一張申請表格，但他們?nèi)孕鑼ｉT拜訪一家由英國指定的公司進行拍照和錄指紋。

　　Ms May also proposed visa restrictions for Brazilians, which she put on hold after protests fromcabinet members and Robert Halfon, Tory MP and co-chairman of the British-Brazilparliamentary group.

　　梅伊還曾提議對巴西人實行簽證限制，在內(nèi)閣成員以及保守黨議員、英國巴西議會組織聯(lián)合主席羅伯特•哈爾豐(Robert Halfon)提出抗議后，她擱置了該提議。

　　In addition, she abandoned a scheme for a £3,000 bond for visitors from India, Nigeria,Pakistan, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

　　此外，她還放棄了對印度、尼日利亞、巴基斯坦、肯尼亞、斯里蘭卡和柬埔寨的游客收取3000英鎊押金的計劃。

　　All these proposals left a residue of hurt, as have the government’s policies on foreignstudents at UK universities — like tourism, a sector of great importance to the British economy.

　　所有這些提議都留下了傷痕，就像英國政府針對在英國大學(xué)就讀的外國留學(xué)生的政策那樣。與旅游業(yè)一樣，教育產(chǎn)業(yè)對于英國經(jīng)濟也非常重要。

　　The government has included foreign students in its immigration target, in spite ofrepresentatives from every corner of UK business asking it not to.

　　英國政府將外國留學(xué)生納入其移民限制目標，盡管英國商界各行各業(yè)的代表都請求政府不要這么做。

　　It also restricted the right of foreign graduates to work for a limited period after their degrees.The all-party parliamentary group on migration, which includes Conservatives, said somestudents were instead going to university in Australia.

　　英國政府還限制了外國畢業(yè)生在取得學(xué)位后工作一段時間的權(quán)利。英國議會跨黨派移民小組(包括保守黨成員)表示，一些學(xué)生轉(zhuǎn)而選擇申請澳大利亞的大學(xué)。

　　In January, we reported that Mr Osborne had quashed plans by Ms May to clamp down further.

　　今年1月，本報報道稱，奧斯本阻止了梅伊提出的進一步限制計劃。

　　What will the new government’s direction be? John Whittingdale, the new culture secretarywhose brief includes tourism, chaired the committee that produced the report explaining thesector’s importance. Both Mr Osborne and Ms May would like to succeed Mr Cameron. Thebattles are likely to continue.

　　英國新政府的政策將往何處去?職責(zé)范圍涵蓋旅游業(yè)的新任文化大臣約翰•惠廷戴爾(John Whittingdale)曾擔(dān)任一個委員會的主席，該委員會發(fā)表的報告解釋了文化產(chǎn)業(yè)的重要性。奧斯本和梅伊都希望成為卡梅倫的繼任人。角力可能會繼續(xù)。